Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 375, Messages: 54577

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Eating before workout

warped
warped
Posts: 28
Joined: 2003/03/03
Ireland
2004/02/04, 08:36 AM
Hi all,

I was just wondering how long I should wait before going to the gym after I have eaten dinner. I usually don’t get home from work until 6:30pm and have dinner as soon as I get in. Normally I would wait until around 7:30 to start exercising at home and 8:30 if I am going to the gym. Could I start exercising straight after a meal or is there an ideal/preferable time to start exercising after a meal?
Its just that I find exercising takes up a lot of my spare time due to how late I get home in the evening and I would like to do as much exercise as I can without it interfering considerably with my everyday life.
mmaibohm
mmaibohm
Posts: 1,621
Joined: 2003/09/30
United States
2004/02/04, 07:52 PM
1.5 to 2 hrs is good to let your body digest the food and get the fire burning for your workout.

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I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it is gone past me I will turn to see fear's path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain
bigandrew
bigandrew
Posts: 5,146
Joined: 2002/10/21
United States
2004/02/05, 09:53 AM
digesting food requires engery. Theres not enought blood in the body to supply every single thing with the blood flow it needs, when you eat m,ost of your blood flow has gone to your small intestines to pick up the broken down food, this requires engery( calories) to do this............now if you work out right after you eat..........your body is still trying to digest but also trying to get blood flow to your muscle, and it doesn't knwo what to do.............usually this causes cramps, not to mention makes you feel slugish and slow............the time to digest takes in accounct what you eat, and how much..............if you eat a sandwich then you can wait about 30 to 45 mins and be ok , but if you eat say 400 calories then you might wanan wait and hour and a half maybe two.........

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---andrew.......adversity causes some to break, but others to break records!

LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR!!
Reddy
Reddy
Posts: 597
Joined: 2003/09/11
United States
2004/02/05, 07:16 PM
Warped - any way you could execrise as soon as you got home & eat later??

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Reddy

All people smile in the same language
warped
warped
Posts: 28
Joined: 2003/03/03
Ireland
2004/02/09, 09:23 AM
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think from now on I will just have a big lunch and not bother with dinner at all If I plan to go to the gym that evening.
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2004/02/09, 01:51 PM
You need fuel in your body if you are going in to train with weights. If glycogen stores are low, your workouts will suffer, and you will be tapping into muscle as well as fat. Don't do this if you are trying to gain lean tissue, kind of like one step forward, 2 steps backward. You want a good slow burning fuel like oatmeal, brown rice, beans, something like that with some good lean protein. Only work out on an empty stomach in exteme circumstances. You want to increase your lean mass to fat ratio, not the other way.

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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2004/02/09, 01:55 PM
Oh yeah, here are some common digestion times of foods that may help you.

DIGESTION TIME OF VARIOUS FOODS
(approx. time spent in stomach before emptying). ........
Water
when stomach is empty, leaves immediately and goes into intestines,
Juices
Fruit vegetables, vegetable broth - 15 to 20 minutes.
Semi-liquid
(blended salad, vegetables or fruits) - 20 to 30 min.

Fruits

Watermelon - 20 min.digestion time.
Other melons - Canteloupe, Cranshaw, Honeydew etc. - 30 min.
Oranges, grapefruit, grapes - 30 min.
Apples, pears, peaches, cherries etc. - digest in 40 min.

Vegetables

Raw tossed salad vegetables - tomato, lettuces, cucumber, celery, red or green pepper, other succulent vegetables - 30 to 40 min. digestion. -
Steamed or cooked vegetables
Leafy vegetables - escarole, spinach, kale, collards etc. - 40 min. - Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, string beans, yellow squash, corn on cob - all 45 min. digestion time
Root vegetables - carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips etc. - 50 min.
Semi-Concentrated Carbohydrates - Starches
Jerusalem artichokes & leafy, acorn & butternut squashes, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, chestnuts - all 60 min. digestion.

Concentrated Carbohydrates - Grains

Brown rice, millet, buckwheat, cornmeal, oats (first 3 vegetables best) - 90 min.
Legumes & Beans - (Concentrated Carbohydrate & Protein)
Lentils, limas, chick peas, peas, pigeon peas, kidney beans, etc. - 90 min. digestion time
soy beans -120 min. digestion time
Seeds & Nuts
Seeds - Sunflower, pumpkin, pepita, sesame - Digestive time approx. 2 hours.
Nuts - Almonds, filberts, peanuts (raw), cashews, brazil, walnuts, pecans etc. - 2 1/2 to 3 hours to digest.

Dairy

Skim milk, cottage or low fat pot cheese or ricotta - approx. 90 min. digestion time
whole milk cottage cheese - 120 min. digestion
whole milk hard cheese - 4 to 5 hours digestion time

Animal proteins

Egg yolk - 30 min. digestion time
Whole egg - 45 min.
Fish - cod, scrod, flounder, sole seafood - 30 min. digestion time
Fish - salmon, salmon trout, herring, (more fatty fish) - 45 min. to 60 digestion time
Chicken - 11/2 to 2 hours digestion time (without skin)
Turkey - 2 to 2 1/4 hours digestion time (without skin)
Beef, lamb - 3 to 4 hours digestion time
Pork - 41/2 to 5 hours digestion time


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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2004/02/15, 09:20 PM
eat directly after your work out. a study a while ago at some university (?) found that you build 95% more muscle and only absorb 5% of the fat from foods that you eat directly after excercising

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\"I get up in the morning around six to run for about an hour. Later in the day, I lift with a partner. Following my lifting sessions, I usually do speed and agility drills. Later, I drill all my holds and moves.\"

\'Isnt that lifestyle boring?\'

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Ichiguchi
Olympic Gold Medalist
Reddy
Reddy
Posts: 597
Joined: 2003/09/11
United States
2004/02/15, 09:41 PM
Can you find out the name of the Universit & what study it was? I would like to see more info on it

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Reddy

All people smile in the same language
t04rdeez
t04rdeez
Posts: 5
Joined: 2004/02/18
United States
2004/02/19, 12:32 AM


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Quoting from wrestler125:

eat directly after your work out. a study a while ago at some university (?) found that you build 95% more muscle and only absorb 5% of the fat from foods that you eat directly after excercising


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yup this is true! I did this for a year and i gained so much mass! i basically hit the weights 5 times a day and lifted very hard. Directly after my workout i would eat a huge ass dinner consisting of lean meats, veggies etc. Keep the food healthy! Trust me you will see the results in no time! Also drinking a protein shake after dinner helps too...good luck